


Under the Circumstances

by westernsunset



Category: Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: But this is fanfiction, Gen, i understand marriages of convenience between two gays are unlikely, let me have this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 21:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15850011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westernsunset/pseuds/westernsunset
Summary: Jon and Thayet harbored the illusion that this marriage had cured both him and Buri. That just by being married to each other, they’d somehow learn to love each other the way they “should.”—Tortall and marriages of convenience





	Under the Circumstances

“Aren’t you going to dance with your lovely wife?” Jon said, nudging Raoul. 

Raoul smiled at his friend, but he could tell it didn’t reach his eyes. After many years of friendship, he would have thought Jon would realize that he wasn’t married to Buri because he loved her. Of course, he did love her, but not in the way a husband should love a wife. That worked out fine for Buri, who had made it clear she was uninterested in the romantic aspects of marriage. The two of them enjoyed spending time together. They thought the same way, they shared the same values, and they wanted the same things from life. 

Raoul didn’t see why everyone, including Jon, couldn’t just leave them alone and allow them to build their life they way they wanted. But it seemed like Jon and Thayet harbored the illusion that this marriage had cured both him and Buri. That just by being married to each other, they’d somehow learn to love each other the way they “should.” 

At least that was Raoul’s best guess. He didn’t see another logical reason for Jon prodding him to dance with Buri at the Midwinter banquet. Jon should have known Raoul didn’t want to dance with Buri. Not in front of people. Not when people could watch him, judge him, see that his affections were manufactured. If he had to guess, he’d imagine Buri felt the same.

But he learned long ago that sometimes it was easier to go along with Jon’s ideas than it was to argue, so Raoul led Buri out to the floor. She wore a plastered-on smile that he knew looked identical to his.

“I don’t know why Thayer insists on this,” Buri murmured so only Raoul could hear. “I’ve told her so many times that just because she doesn’t understand what we have, doesn’t mean we’re not happy.”

“And you are? Happy, I mean?” Raoul asked. Their marriage had been Buri’s idea, but he still felt guilty. Like he’d trapped her in this position. Never mind that it was impossible for anyone alive to trap Buri anywhere.

“I am happy. Happy as I can be under the circumstances anyway,” Buri said, looking around Raoul and staring a little wistfully at Salma who was briskly directing some of the serving goals. When Salma saw Buri mooning over her she gave a particularly warm smile that made Buri blush.

“I guess I know what you mean,” Raoul replied, his eyes, as they always did, automatically finding Hakuin’s across the room.

Every bone in his body ached to hold Hakuin the way he now held Buri. To dance with him and not worry about who would see.

Buri sighed a little too loudly. “We’re quite a mismatched pair aren’t we?”

Raoul chuckled, twirling Buri around as the music ended, just as a husband was expected to. “Not for nothing Buri, you’re the only person who makes me wish I was able to love a woman.”

Buri smiled her first genuine smile since the two had been forced out to dance. “You know Raoul, I feel the same about you.”

Then she playfully slugged him in the arm. It was the closest they’d ever get to a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have other gay Tortall headcanons please send them to me on tumblr, I’m nevertobecaught and I always want more gay Tortall content


End file.
